Howdy from Idaho.

Thanks in advance. I have read through gathering as much as I can understand. but I need some advice from experts

Time for me to get a starter bike for hunting/trails. looking at '98 foreman S 450. It is at a used car dealership & is supposed to be the owners bike.

Condition: (I'll get picts of all this within a day or 2)

It looks like it was a worker for sure.

Front has large rectangular aftermarket bumper/ winch mount. looks like it could take abuse over a tubular type brushguard, but could it come off & mount winch in the lower front grill location? warn v2000 winch had the rotary type switch, cable looks almost unused
Plow handle LH side & linkage but no blade. (would be coming off) ball hitch on rear fairly clean

bars & seat look undamaged but the grips are warn quite thin on the tops

plastic looks clean except for a couple of gouges near the engine

Wheels looked stock, heavy chipping paint on rear & a few slight dings on the bead edge. dunlops. fairly worn

no apparent oil leaks

Being unfarmiliar with the display, 1750 was the only # I could get to come up. assumed it was miles didn't realize it could be "hours" How do I check HOURS

Price:

He has a "was 2795 now 2495" but talking to the salesman if I had 2000 cash he'd probably take it


Mostly I would like to know what to look/ listen for specifically on a test ride/ kick the tire inspection. I can likely take it up through the gears on a frontage road. but how to check for bearing/ linkage wear or any red flag repairs

 

Yup, you can take the winch off there and mount it tucked back in a little with a 450-specific mounting bracket. You'll see 'em listed along with the winches in various catalogs and such, and they're all over ebay. If the cable really does look unused that's a good sign she hasn't been buried countless times. And provided the engine isn't all brown from mud, things are looking pretty good.

I haven't paid much attention to the display when I've been on those bikes, but I believe hours are displayed right under miles. If she's got 1,750 miles that's nothing for a 10 year old machine, I'm sure I've got that many on my 2 year old Rancher.

Check the front CV joint boots for any holes, and it wouldn't hurt to take the seat off and take a look at the airbox real quick. Just look it over from front to back and top to bottom. When you ride it, cut the wheels all the way to the right and the left to check for any unusual noise. If there's no popping or metal-on-metal sounds, good deal.

If she goes through the gears fine, doesn't smoke, and everything sounds/looks fine....I'd go for it if that's what you want. They're stout, reliable 4-wheelers with about a million aftermarket accessories and mods available. I'd like to pick one up in the near future myself.

 

The display has 2 user buttons, one for Kilometers (miles in the US) that switches between total mileage and trip. The display will say trip next to the number when in trip mode, press the button to return to total km mode.

The other button switches between the clock and the hour meter. When in hour meter mode you will see and hour glass picture, and time is well time.

I have a 1998 Honda Foreman 450s I bought it new. Mines been through everything and back, well used but well maintained. Its never let me down once, its not the fastest but its a great quad overall.

Take each wheel and shake it to see if there's any play, if so you will need to replace the wheel bearing at that wheel. Also check the Side Axle boots in the front for damage or cracks, same for the one for hte rear end right next to the engine oil dipstick. If these are damaged or cracked the CV joint inside (front) or U-joint (rear) could be damaged and need to be replaced. These are not cheap.

If you have to do wheel bearings, find a local industrial shop to purchase bearings and seals from, you will save alot of money over going to the dealership.

Also have the bike lifted and suported by the frame under the engine and then take the whole rear end and check for side to side play (when looking right at the back of the bike). If there is play you may need to do the swing arm bearings.

Make sure the brakes all work and are not seized.

These are the important things to check, none of them are a big deal to fix if your mechanically inclined and have a service manual for reference. Finding them now may get you a better deal from the seller.

 

I went to look closer today, forgot the camera.

308 hrs 1750 miles. the closer I look, the more beat this thing looks.

KBB lists a 2350 in <u>excellent</u> condition, so I think he is about 1K off [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

Took it out for a test ride though...looks like it was laid over on the right side, cracked plastic, suspension sqeaks on that side, loose or damages bolts making noise. Slight bend up on bars that side, wheels not far from junk. some sort of flat steel plates welded & bolted to the undercarrage, part of the plow kit?

rolled teh winch cable out. heavy fray damage tucked inside. anyway, for 2K and the work needed to bring her up to par, I think I'll look elsewhere.

on the way home, made the mistake of stopping by the honda dealership [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Yeah, for that price, your gonna want a few $$$ in new parts to make it right. THere are lots of used bikes around, so I'd take a pass too. You dont mind fixing the maintenacne issues I described, but if its been beat up, then thats a whole lot more work, plus you dont know what other damage was done.

Ah, what the heck, pick up a new foreman 500, its only a payment LOL j.k